One of the co-founders of climate change activist group Extinction Rebellion has been accused of a plot to target a string of trade unions, including the professional body for doctors.
Roger Hallam, 54, was among five people charged this week with an alleged conspiracy to cause criminal damage between August 13 and his arrest on Monday.
According to charges at Highbury Corner magistrates court, the group are accused of plotting to target buildings belonging to Unite, Unison, and the British Medical Association.
Diana Warner, 61, Ferhat Ulusu, 42, Holly Brentall, 28, and Steven Nunn, 56, have been charged alongside Hallam, with all five remanded in custody until a hearing next month.
The criminal charges come ahead of a planned weekend of action around the country by Extinction Rebellion, followed by an “uprising” in London next week.
Demonstrations have already begun in Bristol with a blockage of the famous Clifton Suspension Bridge.
The British Medical Association is the professional body that represents doctors, and has its headquarters in Tavistock Square, in Bloomsbury.
The five defendants are accused of plotting “to destroy exterior walls and windows” belonging to the unions.
Hallam, of Wandsworth, Warner, from Bristol, Ulusu, from Hackney, Brentall, of Haringey, and Nunn, of Telford were all remanded in custody this week until a plea hearing at Wood Green crown court on September 22.
